Grievance Procedures

Approved by The NRWA Board of Directors: March 2015

1.The ethics chair will instruct complainants to complete a grievance form. The NRWA does not assume any legal liability or obligation with respect to grievance forms or the information contained therein.

2. Within 5 days of receiving a completed grievance form, the ethics chair will forward the grievance form via email to the affected member, the president, and the administrative assistant. The ethics chair is not required to act in instances where the complainant fails to complete the grievance form. The affected member will be asked to resolve the matter with the complainant.

3. If three grievances are received about the same member or member’s organization within a 24-month period, then the ethics committee is required to convene to consider the grievances. Grievances can also be brought before the ethics committee at the ethics chair’s discretion, the president’s discretion, or by request of the affected member sent via email to the ethics chair requesting consideration by the ethics committee.

4. The ethics committee is a standing committee chaired by the ethics chair and comprised of all current board members except executive board members. The ethics chair does not vote on ethics committee recommendations. Ethics committee members must notify the ethics chair of any conflicts of interest and then abstain from participating in matters in which they have a conflict of interest. If the ethics chair has a conflict of interest, then the immediate past president shall serve as acting ethics chair.

5. If consideration by the ethics committee is requested by a member or required under these procedures, then at least three members of the ethics committee must convene to discuss the grievance within 15 days of the request. The ethics chair must notify the member via email that the ethics committee will be considering the grievance. This notification will include the anticipated date and time of the committee’s meeting.

6. The member may submit information about the grievance to the ethics chair, the president, and the administrative assistant. The ethics committee can request additional information from the member and can request the member be available by telephone to answer questions. After consideration, the ethics committee can recommend to the executive board that no action is necessary, that the member should be issued a formal warning, that the member should be assigned a mentor or required to complete CEUs, that the member’s membership should not be renewed, or that other measures should be taken.

7. Within 5 days of the ethics committee issuing a recommendation, the ethics chair must inform the member of the ethics committee’s recommendation via email. Notification must also be sent to the president and administrative assistant.

8. The member has 10 days from the date of the email to contest the ethics committee’s recommendation directly to the executive board by sending an email requesting the appeal to the ethics chair, the president, and the administrative assistant. If the member does not contest timely, then The NRWA executive board may adopt the ethics committee’s recommendation.

9. If the member contests the ethics committee’s recommendation, then the executive board will convene to discuss the grievance within 15 days of receiving notice from the member. The executive board can request additional information from the member and can request the member be available by telephone to answer questions. The executive board can adopt the ethics committee’s recommendation or determine that some other action is necessary.

10. Within 5 days of making a decision, the president must inform the member of the executive board's decision via email. Notification via email must also be sent to the administrative assistant and to the ethics committee. General notification may be given to the complainant that the matter has been resolved. A summary of each grievance submitted will be documented by the Ethics Chair. Except under special circumstances, no details of the outcome will be given to the complainant, the public, or members of The NRWA.